Ms A complained that she was dissatisfied with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s (“the Health Board”) response to her complaint about her son’s mental health care and treatment. She said that the Health Board had not listened to her or her son, and did not fully address their concerns. Ms A said that without her assistance and perseverance, her son’s needs would have been disregarded by the mental health service.
The Ombudsman decided that although the Health Board had attempted to resolve the initial concerns informally, it resulted in a 3 month period where Ms A raised further concerns, before a formal response was provided. Through misunderstanding and miscommunication, the Health Board said that Ms A was satisfied that her concerns had been resolved, but Ms A said that this had not been discussed with her. The Ombudsman recognised that the complaints process had caused delays and frustration for Ms A and her son. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement within 1 week, to offer an apology, and a meeting within 6 weeks, for Ms A and her son to discuss their experience and any outstanding concerns, or to submit any outstanding concerns in writing, for the Health Board to consider in line with its complaints process.